


When Adulthood Feels like a Big Mistake

by Evening12



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Fluff, POV Hermione Granger, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22757377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evening12/pseuds/Evening12
Summary: Hogwarts is behind them. Hermione’s got a lovely girlfriend. But the beginning of her career is still eluding her.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Padma Patil
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	When Adulthood Feels like a Big Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in a writing rut and this is the first thing I've managed to finish in close to a year. The piece was inspired discussions in the HP WLW Discord chat about our careers, school and job applications. Thanks to [static_abyss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/static_abyss/profile) for the beta job. :D

“That’s it. I’m quitting.” 

Hermione dropped her head with a loud thump on the kitchen table. The ink pot teetered on the edge of the table until Hermione dragged it to the middle of the table. Hopefully no ink had spilled. She still hadn’t quite found the right cleaning spell to get rid of that slick residue it left behind. 

Padma closed her Healing textbook, using her wand as a makeshift bookmark. “And what exactly are you quitting?” 

Hermione straightened up, curls falling out of her ponytail. “I’m done with all of this.” Hermione gestured towards the newspaper adverts and resumes scattered around them. “I’m quitting adulthood. No more resumes. No more interviews.” She pushed her curls behind her ear. “And no more rejection.” 

“I wasn’t aware that it was optional. I would have skipped my early teenage years. They were dreadfully painful.” Padma chuckled. “And what will you do instead of adulthood?” 

“I’ll...” Hermione pursed her lips. “ We’ll move into the woods. We’ll live off the land. Luna lives on the outskirts of the city. I’m sure she’ll have an idea or two about a good secluded cabin in the woods.” Hermioner ran her fingers on the corner of the table. “For money, we’ll sell potions to the locals. That’s a plan, right?”

Padma scrunched up her nose. “Not a very good one. For one, you don’t like the woods. You told me so when Parvati and Lavender invited us to go camping. Too many bad —” 

“No time like the present to overcome past trauma. It has to be easier than adulthood.” 

“And the Floo Network is horrid once you get off the grid. Getting to St Mungo’s for my practicum would be next to impossible.” Padma took Hermione’s hand in her own, rubbing the palm with her thumb. 

“I know.” Hermione breathed deeply. “I’m just tired.” 

“Hogwarts did a wonderful job at preparing us for war, but it missed the mark on preparing us for adulthood,” said Padma.

Purple light danced on the table, as the afternoon sun filtered through the purple glass suncatcher Parvarti had bought for them.

Padma squeezed Hermione’s hand. “But if you didn’t try to do everything by yourself you might have better luck. When you interviewed for that research position for Runes & Symbols, you kept going on about how theories weren’t everything. And that time you interviewed for a field position for the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects? That office needs to find itself a working acronym. You couldn’t stop talking about how practical applications meant nothing without sound theories. Those kinds of thoughts probably slipped into your interviews.” 

After two years of dating, Hermione was used to Padma’ direct words even if she didn’t always like them. “What do you want me to say? It’s true. Combining a sound theory with a practical application gives the best results.” 

“That’s why departments have more than one employee. So that you only do part of the work. Let other people do some of the work, Hermione.” 

“What if they’re bad?”

“They’ll get fired.” 

“No. no. What if they let bad things happen again?” Hermione tried to pull her hand away but Padma held on tight. “I can’t live through another war. I can’t risk it.” 

Padma kissed Hermione’s hand. “Even you can’t control everything. If another war is to happen, you can’t control that. Even the Minister for Magic can’t.” 

Hermione reached for The Daily Prophet. “You’re right.” Hermione said, watching Kingsley wave to the crowd after his speech on the importance of international magical cooperation. “But if I became Minister for Magic, I would have more control. Yes, that’s it. You are brilliant, Padma.”

“That’s not what I meant.” 

Hermione dug through the piles of parchment on the table until she found her wand, tucking it in her back pocket. “Probably not, but it’s enough for me not to want to quit adulthood.” She squeezed Padma’s hand before getting up, her chair scraping against the floor. 

“Where are you going?” 

“I need to talk to Ron and Harry. I can’t have them make fools of themselves during their Auror training. You know how people always associate us together. And I’ll need to find a job, maybe they’ll have a lead for me.” 

Padma called out to Hermione before she Apparated. “Minister Granger has a nice ring to it.” 

Padma opened her Healer textbook, waiting to welcome Hermione home after she finished saving the world.


End file.
